Chesterfield men drive to orphanage in Poland to drop off donations for Ukrainian refugees

Businessmen John and Peter Currey, along with Steven Holmes and Jonny Aire, drove to Duszniki-Zdrój, which is on the south-west border of Poland, on Saturday.

MORE: Quiz: 8 questions about Chesterfield to give your brain a workout

Last week, an appeal went out for residents to drop off items, including clothing, bedding, toiletries, kids’ toys and non-perishable food items, at John and Peter’s business premises at Old Brick Works Lane – and people responded in their droves.

After the four arrived safely back in Chesterfield on Monday, John, a director of estate agent Dales and Peaks, told the Derbyshire Times: “There were hundreds and hundreds of bags of donations – we’d like to thank everyone for their generosity.

“When we arrived, the fire brigade helped us to unload all the bags.

“People at the orphanage were so incredibly grateful with all the donations – there were lots of smiles.”

Peter, chief executive at Entire Facilities Management Chesterfield, said they wanted to help Ukrainian refugees after witnessing terrible scenes on the news since Russia’s invasion started two weeks ago.

He added: “We were made aware of the orphanage through Polish connections doing some research and it made sense for us to concentrate our efforts here as it's not receiving any mainstream support.

“The items we delivered are going directly to the children who needed the support.”

Peter said they plan on making another trip on March 19 so are appealing for more donations.

He added: “People can drop items off at either Unit 2 , Old Brick Works Lane, Chesterfield, or the Glass Yard, Sheffield Road, Chesterfield.

“We're asking for items suitable for children aged from two to 16.

“This could be things like nappies, wipes and toys for the younger ones through to handheld consoles, for example, for the older ones.

“We've been inundated with clothing donations so we are asking people to hold off on clothes until we say otherwise.”

A JustGiving page has also been set up to help support their efforts – to donate, visit www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/efm-ukraine-support

The number of people who have fled Ukraine since the start of Russia’s invasion has reached more than two million people, the United Nations said on Wednesday.

MORE: NHS responds to Chesterfield campaigner’s concerns over new mental health hospital

Support your Derbyshire Times by becoming a digital subscriber. You will see 70 per cent fewer ads on stories, meaning faster load times and an overall enhanced user experience. Visit www.derbyshiretimes.co.uk/subscriptions